Non-Invasive Monitoring of Vital Signs in Calves Using Thermal Imaging Technology

Abstract

This study presents a non-invasive method using thermal imaging to estimate heart and respiration rates in calves, avoiding the stress from wearables. Using Kernelised Correlation Filters (KCF) for movement tracking and advanced signal processing, we targeted one ROI for respiration and four for heart rate based on their thermal correlation. Achieving Mean Absolute Percentage Errors (MAPE) of 3.08% for respiration and 3.15% for heart rate validates the efficacy of thermal imaging in vital signs monitoring, offering a practical, less intrusive tool for Precision Livestock Farming (PLF), improving animal welfare and management.